Royals got Cueto for a bargain


The Royals World Series championship team from 2015 was made up of many players that Kansas City acquired for top prospects; however, some trades the team got for a bargain. Kansas City made a trade with Cincinnati on July 26, 2015 sending three pitching prospects to Cincy that, unfortunately for the Reds, never got their footing in the big leagues. Cincinnati had plenty of trade interest from multiple teams for Johnny Cueto before Kansas City and Cincinnati struck an agreement to send the right hander to the Midwest. The Reds return for the right hander ended up being a steal for the Royals. Cincinnati acquired pitchers Brandon Finnegan, Cody Reed, and John Lamb. 
Finnegan's time with the Reds turned out to be a big disappointment for him and the team. The left-hander was full of disappointment due to his two injuries to his shoulder. The Texas Christian graduate began his 2019 campaign with the Chattanooga Outlooks in Double-A. The Reds pitcher unfortunately struggled mightily in Double-A with a 6.60 ERA in 13 appearances for the team. Finnegan began the 2020 season with the Red's top affiliate in Louisville. While with the Bats, Finnegan posted a 5.53 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 55.1 innings. His time in the Cincinnati organization ended when the team released him on November 18, 2021. The second arm the Reds got in return from Kansas City was John Lamb. Lamb, while in the Royals minor league system, posted an ERA of 2.67. Before being shipped to Cincinnati, Lamb was considered the 18th best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. The lefthander was never able to find his footing in the majors with the Reds. On October 28, Cincinnatti designated Lamb for assignment; and shortly after the Reds designated Lamb, the team traded him to Tampa Bay. The final pitcher in the Cueto trade was Cody Reed. Reed was drafted by the Royals in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft, and the left hander was a MILB.com Organization All-Star and a PCL Mid-Season All-Star in 2015 as a member of the Omaha Storm Chasers before being dealt to Cincinnati. The Royals, in my opinion, got Johnny Cueto from the Reds for next to nothing. However, Cueto was on an expiring contract when the Reds decided to trade him to Kansas City knowing they wouldn't be able to afford his asking price in free agency. Following the end of Cueto's time with the Royals, the right hander cashed in on the starting pitching market by signing a massive contract with the San Francisco Giants. On December 14, 2015, Cueto signed a six year deal worth $130 million dollars to be San Francisco's top of the rotation pitcher. Cueto's time in the Bay area didn't go the way he or the Giants had hoped. Cueto's first year in a Giants uniform couldn't have gone better. On July 6, Cueto was selected to his second career MLB All-Star Game. The rest of Cueto's time with the Giants was full of disappointments. While a member of San Francisco, the right hander underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018. Cueto was fortunate to be able to return from his career threatening injury with the Giants, but he was never able to find his former self again in San Francisco. The Giants and their pricey free agent acquisition parted ways after five seasons following the end of the 2021 season, leaving the Giants to pay Cueto's $5 million dollar buyout instead of the $22 million dollar option the team could have exercised for the 2022 season. Now at the age of 36, the veteran starter was forced to settle on a minor league pact with the Chicago White Sox. Cueto has seemed to have found a form of his former self with the Chicago. Taking a look back a little over seven years ago, the Royals seem to have won the blockbuster trade with Cincinnati hands down after Cueto helped lead Kansas City to their first World Series title in over thirty years when they beat the New York Mets. 

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